Wolves and Wildcats
by Mintylicious
Summary: Some things really aren't what they seem...or are they? Creatures of myth do exist...Axel was one himself after all. R&R is appreciated :3
1. An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Fire. The raging heat of it could burn almost everything. It _should _be able to burn everything. Fire was true beauty to a certain redhead. Its warm colours and hazardous nature brought him into a trance like state where all the heat and bright colours were bliss. He could sit in its middle, watching the flames engulf him in their rage while he stayed out of harm its way and alive. Well, if you could call him fully alive. With a deadly white pallor, unearthly green eyes and a grin so mad it would put the Cheshire's to shame. What was most peculiar about the menacing grin were the two razor sharp canines that graced it. They were said to hold a venomous liquid, able to keep a man's heartbeat going while the man in question, was dead.

Axel was a vampire, had been for quite a while now. When he had just turned into a man he and his twin brother were released out of the orphanage into the harsh world outside with only the clothes they had on their body and each other. That was also the day, well, night actually, that both of them got themselves a job as servants for an old rich man. It was the worst job they could've thought of, but they really needed it. There hadn't been a moment that either of them didn't regret making up their minds that fast, for both of them had gained vivid scars from the encounter with that old man. Physically they both had already been scarred; Axel's and Reno's faces had both been marked after a week in the orphanage. There wasn't a single person in the place who could keep them apart so it was decided that they had to have something neither of them had. Axel received two upside-down triangles on his cheekbones and Reno got two identical, slice-like marks on them. After they grew the marks started too look more intimidating, not a single person had wanted to take them in, either it was because of the marks, or it was only possible to have one adopted, and neither of the brothers allowed that to happen. So that's how they ended up with a servant's life.

Their master wasn't just any regular nobleman though. They figured as much after a week of servitude. The man was said to be well into his sixties but appeared no older than to be in his early thirties. Furthermore, he never ate, slept or left his room during sun hours. Neither did he want to have anything to do with any religion other than his own misfit obsession. The two brothers grew wary of him after they had decided that the man wasn't human; maybe even a demon of some sort.

One evening the more mature one of the twins, Reno, was ordered to join their master in his chambers; a place the two brothers had never been. They didn't think much of it; maybe it was a good thing, like a raise of salary. But the days after that proved them to be completely wrong; they had been torture to Reno, and Axel wasn't off much better. Having to watch his brother convulse in pain and to hear him scream in animalistic ways every single night made his skin crawl and his heart clench. It made him sick and slowly but surely turned him into an emotional wreck, thinking that his brother might never survive the extremely high fevers and at the same time fearing what would happen if he _did_ survive them.

After eleven days Reno had finally recovered, much to Axel's relief. Or so it had seemed for a few hours. Axel had desperately tried to get him to eat something, but everything that went in came straight back up. As if his brother's body was rejecting the food in every possible way. Yet Reno grew hungry every passing second. It was only when he couldn't take it anymore that their master suddenly showed interest in the situation and stormed into the room, eyes ablaze and upper lip pulled back in a snarl. He had grabbed him by his neck before he could start at his brother and dragged him out of the room, leaving a shocked Axel to ponder over what he had just seen; inhuman vivid blue eyes and canines that shouldn't belong to any human, certainly not to his brother.

It was only after three days more that the redhead saw his brother again, a lot paler and skinnier than he had remembered, but at least he was still alive. Things got awkward between them, Reno never showed his face during the days and in the evenings it was like he tried to avoid Axel. Neither of them enjoyed it, but Reno hadn't any other choice in the matter if he wanted his brother to stay alive, and not dead because of him. Still, being the stubborn bastard Axel was at his young and rebellious age he wasn't planning on keeping things like that. After seven nights he just waltzed straight into his brother's room and demanded answers from him. He got his answers eventually, just not in the way he had hoped to get them.

He too had to suffer in agonizing pain for a week or so, it felt like his whole body was trying to push him away in some dark corner, freezing, yet burning at the same time as fever and hallucination took over his mind. Most of the hallucinations had been…frightening to say the least. Axel's howls had been even more haunting than Reno's had been, scaring even his master with the bestiality of them. Reno sat with him the whole time, at least trying to give him some comfort, kept telling him he would be completely alright. Axel didn't believe him one bit, he felt like he was being ripped up into a million pieces.

When he had woken up the demonic man that had caused this entire ruckus had replaced his brother, only giving the redhead a faint glance every now and then while the redhead in question was slowly regaining his senses. After a while the man spoke up, "I assume that you know what I did to your brother and what he in turn did to you." His deep voice and calm accent were remarkably calming to the young man lying on the bed. Axel tried to say something, but his raw throat refused to produce much more sound than a hoarse rasp. "Do not bother trying to use your voice. I am able to hear your thoughts anyways. Right now you're wondering how on earth that is possible, but it is one of the gifts I received when _my_ master…changed me." His smooth voice was somehow very soothing to the redhead and he found himself getting a little drowsy. "You and your brother shall keep this home and stay young forever. For me it is time to take my leave. People are starting to wonder about my presence. Your brother shall help you…Axel Flynn." The second the vampire had spoken his name he was out like a light. The man had left without much ado, leaving everything behind to the young brothers.

The next few years were spent trying to keep Axel in control. He had become restless, his moods going back and forth between confused and his usual cocky self. Every time he got confused he would set everything aflame if he didn't stay focused. A well placed smack against his cheek usually did the trick. What confused him most of the time were the fires and the overly heightened senses. He could smell a rose from behind a closed door. See everything in the pitch black nights just as well as he used to see things in daylight. And hear the mice scavenge under the old mansion. But what was the worst, were the emotions. The overwhelming power of their strength just blew him away. There had been this one incident with a young girl.

She had been following him around for a while. To him it was clear that she had been attracted to his unreal features, but they all were. So at one point of her trailing after him like a lost puppy he lost it. He'd never felt that angry in his whole life. As if she had done his precious brother wrong in the most terrible way. Afterwards Reno had to dispose of the poor girl while Axel was sulking on their roof.

For the last eight years or so it hadn't been too much trouble to keep the fire starter under control. If one knew how to push his buttons it was all easy as pie. Too bad the redhead got a reminder of his dangerous nature when he had killed yet another young girl, not yet even sixteen. Up till then he had _never_ fed on any child, pregnant woman, or elders. He couldn't have known though, one would swear she was in her early twenties.

Even with the fire bringing him in a state of hallucinating bliss he felt empty in the back of his mind. Guilt had eaten away an essential part of him.

Sirens started to come closer, voices belonging to worried people like whispers to the pyromaniac's ears. That was the moment he fainted. It had been over a week since he had last fed himself.

* * *

"Should we ask-…I don't k-…is it normal to-…I mean-….no-…..but I never-…" Small pieces of conversation slipped into the man's mind together with an annoying beeping noise in the far background yet piercing into his skull like needles. He blinked several times to get the fuzziness out of his blurry vision. "Ah! Doctor! He's awake!" Axel yelped when his eyelid was forcibly screwed open, an overly bright light boring its way into his eye. He shrewd his eyes shut and tried to back away from the light, finding it impossible to move any further back. The woman had gasped in surprise when Axel had let out that loud yelp and was now gaping at said redhead. "Olette, could you leave me with him for a bit?" The other voice asked her calmly. "But-" She protested, but before she continued she shut herself and walked out of the white room, closing the door behind her.

With a small groan Axel tried opening his eyes again, hoping that there wouldn't be yet another person who wanted to burn his eyes out of their sockets with a tiny flashlight. "Ssssh, don't do that just yet, you're eyes are not used to light yet." The doctor said quickly when he noticed what Axel was doing and sped over to the door where the light switch was and flicked it off. The redhead started to blink owlishly in the nearly pitch black room, it's only light coming from the small window in the door and from the machine Axel was connected to.

He stared at the doctor, a short young man with a pair of bright cerulean eyes and a mess of golden blond hair on his head. Cocking his head to the side he continued staring at the blonde, mesmerizing every little detail. The way his fingers were curled around the small flashlight, how soft his skin seemed and his boyish features. If he had been paying he would've noticed he could see everything perfectly sharp and in colour while there wasn't much light.

The doctor in question was staring straight back at the man, one eyebrow quirked and a ghost of a smile gracing his lips as he studied Axel's eyes. He didn't miss the upside down triangles on the man's cheekbones or his cat-like green eyes lined by red. Then he dared to ask the question that had been burning in him ever since he'd heard about this mysterious patient from his brother, "What in God's name were you trying to achieve from standing in a fire?"

Axel opened his mouth to answer, but closed it almost straight away when he realized he didn't know. Now he thought about it…what fire was the doctor speaking about…?

He…couldn't remember.


	2. Accidentally on purpose

**Chapter 2: Accidentally on purpose**

"I was…in a fire? But I-" Axel frowned to himself. _Why can't I remember being in a fire?_ The blonde's eyebrows shot up and his mouth started to form a small 'o'. "Do you know what day it is Mr. Flynn?" He asked firmly but calm. "November 2000?" The blue eyed doctor blinked and chewed on his lip in thought. He barely knew anything about the strange man, only that he used to be in a comatose state. He didn't even know when the man had been brought to the hospital. "It's January now…10 years later." Axel shot up in shock, his muscles protesting severely because of the sudden movement. "I've been asleep for 10 years! How's that even possible!" The blonde rushed over to his side, easing him back down on the mattress with more strength the redhead had thought he possessed. "Your body went in shock because of your burns, don't worry, it's going to be perfectly fine. It's a miracle you don't even have a scar left because of it…"

Now the young doctor actually thought about it, it was _really_ strange that not a mark was left by the fire. The man was unmarred it seemed from where he was standing. "Is there any family I can contact?" Axel relaxed back in the soft pillows and shook is head slowly as realization dawned to him. He didn't know if he even _had_ family. Guilt hit him hard in the face and his jaw clenched tightly at its own record, making it unable to speak for him. Even if he had wanted to say something he couldn't have, his throat was killing him for his screeching earlier.

The blonde sighed softly. "Well, I'm doctor Strife, but you can call me Roxas I guess. My brother has been taking care of you for the last two years, but he…kinda…left, yesterday. So they asked me if I could continue looking after you." The way he spoke about his brother was distant. It made Axel feel sorry for him. Not that he knew why though.

Roxas chuckled dryly. "Funny that you decided to wake up today though…" Neither of them really realized that the blonde's hands had lingered on Axel's bony shoulders all the time they had been talking, or having a one sided conversation from Roxas' side in any case.

Axel felt himself falling in and out of consciousness. One moment he was looking at the blue-eyed doctor, and then his world went black and the high pitched beeping noise slowly disappeared to the back of his mind like a distant memory.

When he woke up again it was almost completely dark everywhere. While he waited for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light he stared around the pristine white hospital room for what felt like a good handful of hours. Getting tired of just lying there under the itchy hospital blanket he tried to sit up. It was in vain though. He was strapped to the bed like some insane patient. _What the? What's this supposed to mean…?_

Panic was blooming in his mind, he had never liked feeling trapped, but _this, _this was one of those moments when he felt like a songbird. Captured only to sing beautifully and look pretty. Why he didn't know, but something seemed out of line…and why the heck did he remember that? Didn't he have complete memory loss the last time he woke up…?

That was the moment that Roxas decided to walk into his room once more, white coat switched for a black and white chequered sweater. He let out a gasp when he noticed that Axels' cat-like green eyes were open and staring back at him with an annoyed tweak to them. What he didn't notice was the fear veiled underneath them. "Are you…actually awake this time?" he asked with a hesitant smile. Axel just raised his eyebrows and looked at him questioningly. "Never mind, you're not screaming, so that should cover it…but-" he drew his eyebrows together and cocked his head to the side. "Why is it that you keep waking up every time that _I_ check up on you? It's starting to get a little weird…" Axel himself wondered the same thing to be true. How was it that he had been in a state of comatose for ten years and that when the young blonde walked into his unconscious life that he suddenly decided to wake up? What was he? Some kind of walking wonder? …Not that the redhead actually believed in miracles or anything.

Roxas smiled again and walked over to the redhead when he saw his puzzled look towards the bed sheets. "Don't answer that, I was just going to see if you weren't tossing around anymore like some of the nurses said. My shift hasn't started yet anyways and since it doesn't look like you're going to do anything I'll better get you…out of those…straps…" He backed away ever so slightly with a confused look in his eyes.

Axel had been staring at him like a wolf would have…a _very_ hungry wolf that is. The intimate staring was unsettling Roxas to say the least. "Could you…stop doing that?" The pyromaniac blinked and shook his head. "Sorry," he rasped out and grinned sheepishly. "I'm just…hungry." He shook his head again and mumbled something to himself with a frown.

Laughing Roxas stepped closer again. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check if you can use your muscles and keep some real food inside, would be a huge improvement to all those tubes connected to you. I was supposed to try and wake you up again later today anyways." Grinning to himself he loosened the straps enough to pull them off, grabbing an efficiently placed wheelchair that was standing against the wall in case the redhead was to wake up one day.

Axel's frown melted into a heart warming smile and he heaved himself up with a lot of effort, pushing off the itchy blanket in the process. His long legs swung over the side of the bed and he leaned on his arms as he bent towards the blonde doctor. "All that for a guy you just met? You must really like me." Roxas rolled his eyes at the statement and just continued smiling. "I'm just trying to be a good doctor." He said in a singsong voice. "Come on, let's get some breakfast, I think we're both starving." He held out both his hands so the redhead could take a hold of them.

His plan was very short lived though. Axel took the offered help and when he tried to stand up his legs just gave out under him. "Whoa there!" Roxas had caught him, luckily, but was now struggling to keep them both from falling to the ground. The two of them were staring at the other wide eyed. Somehow their noses got pressed together and Axel broke out in another sheepish grin. "Well…this is…awkward."


	3. Beggars can't be choosers

"They would have kept me as their dog wouldn't they?" The brunette said while pulling the blankets tigheter around his shoulders, staring at the falling snow outside, white flecks of clustered ice crystals slowly making their way down to the ground where they would most likely melt. The doorway was currently occupied by a man with blonde hair holding two steaming mugs. Not even for a moment was he actually surprised that the other knew of his presence. It was just one of those things about Leon he had grown used to over the past few weeks.  
"Sephiroth would have," he walked over to the bed and put the mugs down while he sat down behind the lump of blankets. "It's not every day they bring in someone like you." he pointed out.  
Leon pushed away the blankets so he could look Cloud in the eye, his own searching while the blonde's refused to give the answers he was looking for. They we're bright blue...the colour the sky would be if snow wouldn't descend gently from it. His own cold, metallic blue only reflecting on the storm that was raging within him. The contrast was intriguing.

He decided he liked Cloud's eyes.

"...This is actually mine?" It was barely above a whisper when those words left Axel's lips. Eyebrows raised in surprise he memorized every item on the white table in front of him. Expensive looking jewellery, a- from what he assumed- silver watch, a bundle of keys that held more keys than the building he was in had locks for, two pairs of dogtags- oddly enough sporting the same dates on which both World Wars took place- with his name on them and a set of clothing which was...well, charred for the most part. Roxas had taken the liberty to gather his things from the Patient lockers before he did his morning check on the redhead. "Nothing else was on you when you were brought in if I've got to belief the files," the blonde said with a small shrug, too occupied with a sandwich to say anything more he let Axel be, he would be too lost in his thoughts anyways.

He had it by the right end, after ten minutes or so Axel was still studying the dogtags with hazy eyes, looking at them, but not really seeing them. Only when a tall- way too cheery for six AM- blonde strolled into the cafeteria singing at the top of his lungs, Axel was pulled out of his own thoughts, wide eyes now turning to the mohawked blonde walking towards their table and expression shifting from surprise to a confused interest in a split second. In turn, the blonde ceased his singing with a choked sound as his jaw dropped and eyebrows rose. It was almost comical when he did it, shoulders hunching and something akin to pure shock written over his face. "Uhm...hello?" Axel was even more confused now, Roxas chuckling next to him wasn't really helping either. "Yes Demyx, he's alive, moving, and aparently talking as well," came a slightly muffled voice from behind the blonde. Demyx- as the person behind him had called the blonde- was stammered to the side, having been pushed by a short man in a labcoat. "Sorry about him," the slate haired man muttered and attempted to direct Demyx to the other side of the cafeteria. The blonde wouldn't have any of it though.

Suddenly he was all over Axel, asking questions like: Where are you from? Do you know what happened? How did you end up here? Where did you get those tattoos? They look really painful...and is that your real hair colour? I used to have this friend and he dyed his hair blue and he-" "DEMYX!" Roxas shouted out of nowhere. The tall blonde gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry...heh," he cleared his throat and held out his hand towards Axel. "Demyx, nice to meet you, and I'm real sorry about that," he said it like someone had taught him to say those exact words. Behind him the shorter male dragged a hand over his face and sighed softly. Axel hesitantly took the offered hand, "Axel, not really a problem." Demyx's smile brightened, "Awesome." And with that he was gone, pulling the short man along and singing yet again. He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared not a minute ago. Axel inhaled and opened his mouth to say something, hand gesturing towards where the pair had gone off to but thought otherwise of it, shutting his mouth and opting whether to be shocked and confused or just...confused.

"Don't mind Demyx, he's just...Demyx." Roxas said with a snort and then gave a dubious glance to his sandwich before dropping it back on his plate, picking up the watch with a look of appretiation. He was quiet for a while, content with studying the watch, not noticing he was being studied himself from across the table. That is, until a low rumbling sound pulled his attention back to the redhead. A snort escaped his lips. The surprised look Axel was sending his stomach was hilarious, the barely audible whisper that came along with it enough to bring a silly smile on Roxas' face. "Forgot you were hungry, I'll be back in a sec." With that said he pushed his chair back and got up, disappearing through a door at the other end of the cafeteria. Axel drifted off once again, eyes lost on the letters and numbers on the dogtags like they were secret codes that he had to crack in order to get answers. Answers to which he didn't even know the questions to...like the number 42, which ironically, was also on one of the tags.  
This time however he did notice Roxas walking back in, a white bottle in one hand and a cup in the other.

"Liquid food huh?" he asked unimpressed, taking the bottle from Roxas. "Yup, but you're hungry, shouldn't matter in which shape you're geting your food," the blonde said with a grin, "you should be happy you're even getting any." A teasing smile tugged at his lips behind the cup. "Just drink it already." The cap of the bottle came loose with a small pop and Axel started to jug it down like a man who had just crossed the Sahara without a drop of water. His eyes slid shut and he gave a content hum. "How I have missed this," he whispered. Roxas stared at him, chin resting on his palm as he spoke in a soft voice, "I know you did."

The next few moments seemed to come straight out of a bad afternoon tv show with a cheap cast and lack of any actual plot. Axel's eyes snapped open, almost neon in colour. He stared blankly at the table, the bottle slipping from his limp fingers. Neither men took notice- or cared for that matter- that it left a trail of red coloured liquid on the table's surface as it rolled away and fell on the floor. Glowing green eyes flitted up to meet blue ones. Axel's jaw was slack, a drip of red slowly sliding down his chin. Red dripped down from the table onto the white linoleum. Roxas' eyes had a daring look to them. As if he wanted Axel to react like a crazed animal. Or not, who knows, Axel had only known the blonde for a couple of hours. Of course he was unaware of the testing. All he cared about at that moment was the blood.

He had drunk it.  
Tasted it.  
Relished it.

Trembling fingers slowly reached up to equally quivering lips. His body worked on its own. All he could do was stare at the red stain on his fingertips. More proof than he wanted to have.

_"You are one of us now." Something moist and warm dabbed his face. "No turning back. Do not even think about attempting to take your own life. You will not succeed. No matter how hard you try." The dark figure stepped away and water started running. He could smell it. The biting smell of rust, of blood, tempting him. But the very thought of the reason why that fragrance clung to him was sickening. He whimpered softly._

A/N:

I know, I know, it's short, it's not all that great, but school's being a bitch to speak nicely D:  
I do however, have a lot of plot points all worked out and tiny little things like places. Because yes, the hospital is one of the main areas xD and yes, it is a pain because of everything that happens there~  
Kudos if you still want to read this :] ILU


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